NEWPORT, Wales, United Kingdom – Lee Taylor, born in Harrow, Middlesex, served in the Royal Navy for 23 years. With the support of X-Forces, he recently made the transition from military to civilian life by establishing his own business, a Minuteman Press franchise in Newport, Wales. Minuteman Press is proud to help Veterans like Taylor become entrepreneurs.

At just 16 years of age, Taylor enrolled into the Royal Navy with because he wanted to see the world and serve his country. His military career in the armed forces took Taylor to former Yugoslavia on four occasions in the 1990s and to Iraq during the second Gulf War. His best memories of the Navy are the friendships that were formed visiting different parts of the world. Lee’s contract ended in 2013, and from there he decided it was time to seek a new challenge. As an aspiring entrepreneur who wanted to own his own business, Taylor was looking for a lifestyle change with no ceiling, and the potential to be rewarded for the hard work he put in to his business.

Lee Taylor is now the owner of his Minuteman Press franchise in Newport – a complete marketing and business services provider that offers a wide range of products and services including high quality printing, creative design and direct mail printing. As a Minuteman Press franchise owner, Taylor is able to form new types of relationships as he strives to do everything he can to help other businesses grow.

Why Franchise with Minuteman Press?

Minuteman Press’ business plan is considered highly successful and is routinely praised by entrepreneurs. Minuteman Press was once again rated as the #1 print franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine (January 2015), and like Lee Taylor, many franchise owners come from all walks of life. For Taylor, this was a complete career change, and the Minuteman Press franchise system was a perfect fit for its ability to offer an expert training program and provide ongoing local support.

Lee will be combining the help and support provided by Minuteman Press International with his own skills and experience to launch and establish his Minuteman Press franchise in Newport as the first port of call for local businesses’ digital print, design and marketing needs.

Taylor’s Minuteman Press is located in the 1,000 sq. ft. ground floor offices of 27a Hill Street, Newport. New state of the art printing equipment has been installed at the premises and Lee has already started to take orders for business stationery, promotional products and scanning services as well as recruiting his first employee.

It is one of the biggest challenges of his life. Lee began preparing for his new career before leaving the Royal Navy. He said, “I wanted to manage my own business and do something completely different when I left the Royal Navy. I explored a wide variety of different options and chose to invest in the Minuteman Press Franchise after researching the company, finding out more about the products and services they provide and importantly the quality of the comprehensive training and support package they provide to help their franchisors succeed. This has included me studying at their training academy in New York and ongoing support from the UK management team.”

Newport Franchise Location and Building a Local Business

Explaining why the decision was made to open his Minuteman Press franchise in Newport, Lee commented, “I live in the town of Cwmbran and have been following with interest the regeneration of Newport. It’s an exciting time for the city, the local economy is growing and we enjoy helping fellow business achieve their objectives, and working with them to grow their own business.”

Some months later, Taylor’s business has steadily emerged as the print supplier of choice in the city and surrounding areas, building a solid reputation based on the foundation of offering exceptional quality products, flexibility and high levels of customer service. The business has a growing portfolio of local clients of varying types and sizes, including the largest industrial complexes on the edge of town, a large number of medium-size commercial and retail customers, and many small startup businesses.

Lee has involved himself in the local community and has built up an extensive network of local contacts. This has been achieved through a range of activities including extensive involvement in networking groups and putting in the time and effort to get out there and meet local business owners who can benefit from Minuteman Press products and services.

Lee is proud of the client base he has built up thus far, and has high hopes this operation will continue to build upon its reputation and go from strength to strength. He says “we work with all sorts of people, and produce all sorts of print and marketing material. The best new business comes from referrals from current clients. The most rewarding aspect is doing a good job for a customer and learning they have recommended you to friends, family and colleagues”.

Minuteman Press Newport has worked closely with the Newport BID team, whose mandate is to improve the city center retail zone, and capitalize on the many opportunities the massive new developments like the ‘Friars Walk’ shopping center will help to bring to Newport.